LED Streetlight Project Not Yet Completed: MSCL to Give Contractor One More Extension

The work on replacing the conventional streetlights in Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) limits with energy-efficient LED streetlights was taken up under the MSCL in 2021, the consortium could not complete it yet. Mangalore Smart City Limited (MSCL) is planning to give one more extension of time (EoT) for the consortium partners, who have failed to complete the implementation of the LED streetlights project, which is being implemented on a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The contractor has replaced only around 17,000 out of the 65,870 streetlights, with LED. The contract to replace conventional streetlights with LED lamps was awarded to a consortium of partners involving three firms. Despite handing over EoTs many times in the past, the contractor failed to complete the work.

In fact, the MCC and MSCL are not investing in the project, where the contractor has to install LED streetlights and maintain them. The amount saved in the electricity bills of streetlights would be used to pay the contractor every month. Once all 65,870 streetlights are converted to LED, the city corporation can save about 55% of the energy consumption, according to officials.